Microsoft tablet to rival iPad, says insider
June 15, 2012
Steve Ballmer at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (credit: Microsoft)
Microsoft is set to unveil a tablet next week that will mark its entry into rival Apple’s territory with its own branded product, The Wrap has learned.
The company has scheduled a secretive event for Monday at 3:30 p.m. June 18 in Los Angeles, where it will make a “major” announcement.
Rumors have surfaced that Microsoft’s new tablet will run on Windows RT, a version of Windows 8 that uses an ARM microprocessor.
In 2011 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (above) discussed the ARM chip technology.
Comments (11)
by The Dr
Dream on…A few things about the MS tablet. There are two variants, one based on ARM and the other Intel. The ARM ones will have reasonable battery life, but won’t run most of MS’s software. So anyone with an ARM one will be largely out of luck. The intel ones will have software, but will only work effectively with a mouse or trackpad (which is why the keyboard comes with a trackpad). This tablet needs a pointer to work.. Once again MS miss the point.
But being intel based, the battery won’t last any time at all. Maybe an hour, tops. Or, to make the battery last, the machine will be really slow (especially if it is running the usual inefficient MS code). So people would be better off using a laptop. Or a desktop. Either way, ARM or Intel, they have split their customer base, and compromised both.
The display doesn’t have the resolution of the iPad. They use dithering. It won’t look as clear.
The only thing novel is the kickstand and the keyboard built into the cover. The keyboard, being flexible, will only work on a hard surface, hence the kickstand is needed to hold the screen up. But using it on a hard surface (ie desk) defeats the purpose of having a tablet in the first place. You’d be better off just using a laptop. Once again MS just don’t seem to get this.
And it doesn’t have anything close to Siri, or the integration of the iPad. They fail.
My iPad, iPhone and Mac Air seamlessly integrate.
It will probably sell to MS fanboys and corporate data dweebs, but I can’t imagine it succeeding long term. Don’t forget this is the third attempt MS have had at the tablet space, and they still don’t get ‘it’.
by Joseph Hyde
I surely hope so!
It may allow me to buy a cheaper New iPad2 with the iPhone5 integrated into it and a better Siri … In my dreams!!!
I can wish though.
by Danilo Silva
That would be good news for all those .NET programmers like me developing apps for Windows.
by Troy
Personally, I’m sick to death of Apples’ ‘Control Issues’… with a decent windows tablet we’ll be able to do what needs to be done, rather than playing by Apples ‘High and Mighty’ ‘because we control everything’ rules, that leave little room for doing anything innovative or productive. Playing Angry Birds on an iPad is not productive or innovative. Go MS Go!
by Earl
Ya right, Windows xp/Vista/2000 $129 …list $399
….Windows 7 $234. List 399
. . . . . .Windows 8 ..$$$$$$
.. . . Apple iOS 5 free download… 6 free download.
Rival that. !
by AZryan
That’s because you can only use an Apple OS on an Apple (not including Hackintoshes). I’ve never separately bought any Windows OS and have owned several over them.
Do you think this tablet won’t come with the Win OS that the blurb says it will??
by GatorALLin
…the catch up game is hard to play…. you have to be half the price or twice the performance to even have a chance to steal market share…. I like some competition to help keep prices competitive… but hope MS can find something remarkable to do that shakes things up….. good luck.
by Mark
… and microsoft never ever wins in that catch up game, which is too bad.
by AZryan
You mean like their failure of a videogame system that no one owns? If only I could get anyone to let me tell ‘em about this thing called Halo you can play on an Xbox.
by Mark
Hey Azryan, I get it, you’re a microsoft fan boy. I was referring to microsoft’s phone, zune, office, sharepoint… etc. Just one sucky product after another. Always a day late and a pound shy. Obviously they’ve got a huge market for their xbox, irrelevant to me since I don’t waste my time playing games.
by AZryan
Your ‘half the price or twice the performance’ claim is wildly exaggerated. We all know it’ll take a lot to crack Apple’s hold, but I think this has a great deal deal to do with the fear and confusion of all the diff Android versions. There is no real stable OS competition. Amazon’s ‘hidden’ Android Kindle has done well. MS’s tablet-based OS could do even better if it allows far easier integration with people’s PC’s. And that they don’t have to be slaves to iTunes. Could be the best of both Android and iOS.
We’ll see, but it certainly doesn’t have to cost an iPad or be twice the power. Yeesh